Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-03-17

night every ablebodled boy In Evans
Vile knew about the cast, and was
making arrangements to corral from
one to dozen on New Years eve.
The eventful-for Plunket-night
came. The old man went to bed early,
and long about 8 o'clock was sound
asleep.
Suddenly there was ring at the
door bell.
That's the bell, Plunket, said his
wife, nudgiug him in the ribs.
Wall, | don't keer, growled Plum.
ket, let the hired girl go down
She isn't here. She's gone to
ball on Babylon Hill
Where's Erastus?'
'Ras has gone to maskiraid at
Leiderkrans' Hall. There hain't a
soul in the house but we uns, and
you'll hev to 60
So the old man went grumblingly
down and flung open the door, and
there stood small boy with water
works hose and large yellow cat with
one eye, under his arm.
Here's your cat. Mr.. Plumkins, said
he. He amt very pretty, and he's
only got one eye, but you bet chs
large and healthy, and that's what
your card in the August said you
wanted
i don't want no cat. never said
wanted one. Git out
Yes yer did too blubbered the boy.
4 seen it in the August you gimme
my dollar
What dollar?
That dollar you said you'd give for
cats, in the August
L never said no SIGH thing, and he
slammed the door too, locked it, and
went up stairs.
The boy started out Of the gate and
saw the boy of all Others that he hated,
coming along with black cat with a
rick ear and stubby tail. 1t was the
work Of second to drop the yellow
cat, which Immediately scooted back
through the yard and climbed on to
grape arbor.
Did you sell yer cat, Jimmy?
Did II answered the first boy, as he
jingled knife, two keys and second
hand dog check in his pocket, you bet
| did and got the scads.
Boy number two rang the bell and
Plunket came down again, but this
time he didn't ask any questions.
When he saw the cat under the boys
arm he just swore and slammed the
door and the boy in rage slammed the
cat at him and cat number two hur-
ried into the back yard to find ont
what the yellow cat was bowling 80
mournfully about.
This programme was kept up for an
hour till Plunket refused to appear at
all and the disappointed boys, after
throwing their cats into the yard,
threw mud all over the house and
went away.
In the back yard things were lovely.
When you bundle cats from all the diff
ferent wards in town into yard there
is going to be trouble.
The bowling became terrible and
Plunket having stood it till his pa
thence gave out grabbed his old gun
and threw up the window.
But his wife grabbed him and told
him it wouldn't do to shoot off the gun
in the house and told him to go down
stairs if he wanted to shoot. The old
man was too angry to think about
clothes, and rushed down and threw
open the back door, stepped out just
as his wife stuck her head out of the
window. And right here the climax
came.
If PIunket had only stepped on the
wooden step it would have been all
right even f his feet and legs were bare;
but he didn't; he stepped right on to
two cats, from up near the old grave
yard, who were talking together.
Now a cat from that vicinity don't
stop to beg pardon when he is stepped
on, and both Of them just yelled and
whirled and sank their claws clear to
the hilt in old Plunket's bare right
leg.
1t was just at this point the gun
went off and filled Mrs. Plunket's face
with bird-shot.
No one knows whether Plunket
jerked his leg up SO high that he hit
the hammer, or whether in the excite
ment he pulled the triggers but it
.l n II M. DI,,lvat co,.I -